Aqua Tough is a USG made product (made in Michigan) that is used in wet areas, generally shower areas, as a tile backer. Many people request "green board" however green board is no longer acceptable under Michigan code as a tile backer in wet areas. The reason: green board has treated organic material in it - the treatment slows the growth of mold, but green board can still mold. Aqua Tough has no organic material in it and therefore cannot mold. Under Michigan code, non-organic board must be used as tile backer in wet areas. Aqua Tough is our preferred board for this condition because, to our knowledge, it is the only one that can be painted next to drywall without needing a lot more mud work (other product can be painted, but you have to mud the entire board to get it to look like drywall). If you would like more info on Aqua Tough, Click here.

Why use Green Board at all then?

We do not have many clients who use green board a lot as a result. What we have seen is that green board is a popular option in basements because green board is mold resistant. It is also often used in bathrooms for people that are concerned about mold in areas other than the shower (in other words, people are using Aqua Toughf in the showers, and using green board in the rest of the bathroom). You can learn more about green board by visiting any of the suppliers websites. Here is a link to USG's version of green board, Mold Tough